Footwear has been used throughout the ages to protect a person's foot while walking. Footwear protection is now required by modern societies causing the sole of a person's feet to become soft and easily injured should one decide to walk barefoot. For this reason most people now rely on the protection and traction provided by footwear even in situations where walking barefoot is permissible.
For instance, while a visit to a beach is an ideal place to walk barefoot, everyone has experienced the pain of stepping on a sharp rock, hot sand, or running across hot pavement. The end result is typically injury to the sole of the foot. Persons bathing are susceptible to injury due from slipping and falling on a wet surface, such as a bathtub or shower, since bare feet do not provide the traction of conventional footwear. Hardly a day goes by without hearing about an elderly person who has fallen while taking a bath or shower due to slippery surfaces.
Bodily injury is not the only reason for wearing footwear. It is well known that athletes can withstand a fall without injury. However in many instances walking barefoot can lead to another form of injury. For instance, in team sports the athletes use the same shower room wherein fellow bathers may spread waterborne fungus such as athletes feet or the like.
Even sterile environments require foot protection. Hospitals are required by insurance carriers to provide patients with footwear. This typically is nothing more than a cloth sock which can be more slippery than had the patient gone barefoot. If the socks are fitted with a non-slip surface it adds to the cost of manufacture yet cannot be worn in a shower or reused.
The thong is one type of footwear used to address the aforementioned problems. Dating back centuries, a thong is basically footwear having a base that is secured to the sole of the foot. Attachment to the foot is typically maintained by a toe or bridge strap. If the thong relies only upon a toe strap, then the thong will "clap" when the wearer walks since the heel is not attached.
A problem with the conventional thong is the manner in which the attaching strap is secured to the base of the thong. A separate strap such as leather that is sewn to the base adds an expense to the manufacture of the thong and can pull loose from the base if the attachment becomes wet.
A thong having an attachment strap made of rubber must be glued or otherwise integrated into the base. This is also an expensive manufacturing process that requires modification of the base for acceptance. Further, if the manufacturing costs of the conventional thong could be reduced, the lack of heel support is not acceptable for instances in which traction is necessary.
Thus, what is needed in the art is an inexpensive footwear device having the simplicity of a disposable thong and an improved strap attachment that eliminates sewing, gluing or the like attachments.